Fish-drying apparatus.



PATENTED APR. 28, I908.

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J. URQUHART, FISH DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 190.7.

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PATENTED APRAZs, 1908.

J. URQUHART. A FISH DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1907.

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JOHN URQUHART, OF MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA.

FISH-DRYING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 28, 1908.

Application filed July 11, 1907. Serial No. 383,332.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN URQUHART, resident of the United States, residing at Monterey, in the county of Monterey and State of California, have invented certain new and l useful Improvements in Fish-Drying Appa-- ratus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in fish drying apparatus and the invention has for its object a simple, durable and eflicient construction of device or apparatus of this character which will operate on a continuous principle and effectually dry the fish in proper condition for further processing, such as preparing in oil, or the like, or for any other purposes.

The invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts which will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is a top plan view, portion of the cover being removed; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view; Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal sectional view, taken through one end of the frame; and, Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating parts here inafter specifically referred to.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followin description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

My improved fish drying apparatus comrises a box or casing l of any desired width, ength and height, and of any desired material, such as wood, the entire casing being preferably tightly closed, except for the provision of doors in the top, side or either end for the purpose of regulating the heat and for the further purpose, as regards some of the doors, of admitting fish into the casing and removing them therefrom.

Within the casing 1 are any desired number of rollers 2 mounted in superposed series with a pair to each series, three sets or pairs of rollers being shown in the present instance, one pair above the other with spaces between. The several rollers 2 have their shafts 3 projected out through the side walls of the casing, and within the casing, each roller is provided, preferably at its middle with a disk or head 4 which practicallydivides the roller into two equal parts.

Wire netting 5 or similar foraminous or reticulated material is passed tightly around the several rollers of each pair in two distinct strips as regards the two halves of the rollers,

so as to produce two endless conveyers for each pair of rollers. The fish are deposited in the top of the casing upon the endless conveyers 5 of the uppermost series of rollers and carried throughout the full length of the casing and thence dropped to the next pair of endless conveyers and so on, down to the bottom of the casing where they are deposited in a pan or other receptacle and carried off in baskets or the like for further processing.

In order to thoroughly dry the fish as they pass slowly along from one pair of endless conveyers to the other, I have provided heating coils 6 for each pai'r of conveyers, said coils being provided with inlet pipes 7 by which they ma be fed from an individual or common suppl y pipe designed. to furnish steam or hot air, and the several coils are also provided with outlet or exhaust pi es 8 which may also lead to a common exfiaust. The several coils 5 are in juxtaposition to the conveyor and beneath the upper stretches thereof, as clearly illustrated in the drawing,

so that they will effectively heat and dry with upwardly traveling air currents the fish as they pass continuously through the casing. The coils may be supported within the casing by means of transverse rods 6.

In order to drive the several rollers and endless conveyers or aprons, the shafts of the respective rollers are provided with pulleys 9 connected together by belts or bands 10, the rollers of the several pairs being also connect ed together for a simultaneous though reverse movement by means of the twisted belts 11.

In order that the wire netting or other endless conveyers may be kept taut and any slack taken up, one shaft of each pair of form manner and with a continuous operarollers is preferably mounted in adjustable 1 journal boxes 12, as clearly illustrated in the 1 drawing. 11/ a 13 designates the main drive wheel for the 5 Having thus described the invention, what rollers and their conveyers, said wheel being is claimed as new is: preferably mounted upon the shaft of one of 1. A continuous drying apparatus for. the the intermediate rollers. l purpose set forth, comprising a casing, an In order to diffuse the u wardly moving 1 endless conveyer mounted within the casing, currents of heated air from t 1e coils over the means for actuating said conveyer, a heating surface of the conveyers, so that the fish coil mounted within the casing contiguous to throughout the entire area of the conveyers l the conveyer and underneath the uppermost may be uniformly heated and dried, I mount stretch thereof, and adapted to produce cura vertical shaft 14 within the casing, in suiti rents of heated air passing upwardly through able bearings, in the spaces between the two the conveyer, afan mounted within the casing conveyers of each pair, said shaft being roabove the coil and conveyer, and means for tated by means of a pulley 15 and belt 16 1 rotating said fan whereby the upwardly from a main driving shaft 17. This shaft 14 moving currents of heated air from the coil carries a series of fans which may be of any through the conveyer will be spread over the desired construction or material and which, upper surface of. the conveyer. in the present instance, as shown, are con- 2. A drying apparatus for the purpose set structed of cast wings 18 secured to the shaft forth, comprising a casing, an endless conand provided with galvanized iron blades 19 'veyer mounted within the casing and emreinforced by radial strips 20. These blades bodying a pair of horizontally alined rollers are curved or twisted axially as clearly illusand foraminous material stretched around trated in the drawmg, so as to establish our the same, the said material being constructed rents of air downwardly upon the surfaces of in two lengths and each roller being provided the conveyers below them, as well as in an intermediate of its ends with a head dividing outward direction.

, it into two parts, the respective lengths of From the foregoing description in oonnecforaminous material being located on oppo tion with the accompanying drawings, it will site sides of the heads of the respective rollers, be seen that I have provided a very simple,

a vertical shaft mounted to rotate in the easdurable and efficient construction of fish dry ing and in the space formed by the said heads ing apparatus which will dry the fish in a uniand lengths of foraminous material, a fan mounted on said shaft, means for rotating said shaft, means for actuating said conveyer, and a heating coil mounted within the casing below the upper stretch of the confastening device 27. This construction will keep the wire screens from sagging between the rollers.

tion which will avoid cooking the flesh of the fish, which would manifestly destroy the same, or render them useless for further processing.

While I have described my invention as designed for drying fish, it is obvious that it is equally applicable for drying various other products.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, each roller may be provided with sprocketwheels 26 and sprocket chains 25 may run from roller to roller the full length of -the drier. The sides of the Wire screens forming the aprons may be fastened to the sprocket chains by any suitable JOHN URQUHART. L. 8.

\Nitn esses:

F. S. BERRY, A. E. GRANINI.

veyer, whereby the upwardly traveling cur- 

